By Crystal Ugoeze
The All Africa Music Awards (AFRIMA) and the Lesotho Music Awards (LMA) have entered into a three-year strategic partnership aimed at strengthening Lesotho’s music industry and creating greater opportunities for Basotho artists across the African creative landscape.
The partnership, formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in Maseru on July 28, officially designates the Lesotho Music Awards as AFRIMA’s collaborating country partner and regional liaison in the Kingdom of Lesotho.
Under the agreement, both organisations will work together to promote African music and cultural exchange through talent discovery, artist development, institutional collaboration, knowledge sharing, industry networking and advocacy. The collaboration will also seek to strengthen ties among governments, private sector stakeholders, media organisations and music industry players.
As part of its responsibilities, the Lesotho Music Awards will promote AFRIMA programmes within Lesotho, encourage greater participation of Basotho artists in AFRIMA initiatives and coordinate AFRIMA-related activities in the country. AFRIMA will, in turn, provide official recognition, promotional support, collaborative programmes and sustained institutional engagement.
A key component of the partnership is the introduction of a collaborative framework for selected Lesotho Music Awards categories. AFRIMA will participate in mutually agreed adjudication and verification processes to enhance fairness, transparency, accountability and international credibility, while respecting the independence of all other LMA award categories.
Founder and Executive Director of the Lesotho Music Awards, Malibe Mahao, described the partnership as a landmark moment for the country’s music industry.
According to him, the collaboration will connect Basotho artists with one of Africa’s leading music institutions while supporting efforts to build a sustainable and globally competitive creative industry through increased opportunities for talent development, investment and continental recognition.
AFRIMA’s Chief Experience Officer, Adenrele Niyi, said the organisation’s vision extends beyond hosting music awards to building Africa’s leading music ecosystem through talent discovery, festivals, creative education, business development, policy advocacy and cultural exchange.
He noted that welcoming the Lesotho Music Awards as AFRIMA’s official collaborating country partner in Lesotho would deepen continental collaboration, expand opportunities for African creatives and promote unity through music and culture.
Founded in 2014 by the International Committee of AFRIMA in partnership with the African Union, AFRIMA has become one of the continent’s foremost music awards platforms, broadcasting to millions of viewers through more than 84 television stations worldwide.
The Lesotho Music Awards, established in 2021, serves as the country’s premier platform for recognising excellence in the Basotho music industry while promoting musicians, producers and other creative professionals.
Both organisations said the partnership reflects their shared commitment to strengthening Africa’s creative economy through collaboration, innovation and cultural exchange, with plans to unveil joint programmes, artist initiatives and industry engagements in the coming months.